By IANS,
Kolkata : A Border Security Force (BSF) head constable, injured in an attack by a gang of Bangladeshi cattle smugglers at a border outpost in West Bengal’s North 24-Parganas, died here Tuesday, officials said.
“Sartaj Singh was attacked early morning Saturday (Feb 4) by smugglers who were trying to sneak out cattle to Bangladesh near the Gorbardha outpost in Basirhat subdivision. He succumbed to his injuries today (Tuesday) at the SSKM Hospital where he was undergoing treatment,” BSF Deputy Inspector General (South Bengal Frontier) J. Prasad told IANS.
Singh received serious head injuries and went into coma after the attack. Along with Singh, trooper Jitendra Pal was also injured in the attack but he survived, said Prasad.
Three Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested and 30 cattle seized from them after the incident.
“Though Singh had a weapon, he was attacked before he could react,” said Prasad, adding that 69 BSF personnel were attacked in 49 incidents along the south Bengal border with Bangladesh in 2011. A trooper was killed in Malda district.
In September 2011 in Kolkata, the then director general of the BSF, Raman Srivastava, had said the force was being armed with non-lethal weapons and the troopers have been instructed to use force only in self-defence.